New Coach Impressed by Youths

Vodafone National Football coach Christophe Gamel was impressed by the level of football displayed by the youths last weekend.

The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Football Club assistant coach was amongst the many present to witness the Vodafone u17 Youth League 2016 western zone final between Lautoka and Ba at the Fiji FA Academy grounds in Ba on Sunday; Lautoka thumped Ba 6-1.

He was also present to witness the national under 17 side play Ba in a friendly encounter a day earlier.

Gamel said both games were really interesting, however there are few areas that the team lacks on.

“There are only few areas to work on because there is good creativity for the striker but the midfielders have something to learn more,” he said.

“I have seen in the national team two good midfielders. One was really interesting; he came off the bench and displayed some good football.

“The first one also had really good qualities but for me he is too lazy.

“If you are a midfielder and lazy, you’re not compatible. So I will follow them all and maybe in two to three years, they will be able to make it to the first (national) team.

“I enjoyed the two games played last weekend and if the football continues to grow like that in Fiji, I can see in the future we will have a good outcome in the bigger competitions.”

Meanwhile, the Vodafone Fiji U17 side departs for New Zealand on January 15 to build-up matches to prepare for OFC Qualifiers to the U17 FIFA World Cup.

The Shalen Lal-coached side, after playing four matches in New Zealand, will depart for Tahiti for two more friendly matches before playing Solomon Islands in its first qualifier on February 12.

They face Samoa in its second game three days later before battling New Zealand in its final qualifying match on February 18.

About FIJI FA

Fiji was among the founding members of OFC along with Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The nation of around 800,000 has traditionally been one of Oceania best performers – second only to New Zealand in the FIFA rankings for men. The Fiji Football Association (FFA) nurtures hopes of one day toppling the giants in Oceania and qualifying for a FIFA finals competition.